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Building a Career is a Stepping Stone, Not a Bungee Jump

Imagine arriving in New York as a young man from small-town U.S.A. with dreams of becoming the next Wall Street superstar.  What happened next was not an instant leap to success but a slow slog toward achieving a vision.  In this age of “instant” everything – instant data, instant entertainment, instant friends – we learn to expect “instant success.”  But …

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Four Signs That Your Health Could Be Impacting Your Job

The pandemic’s good news is we have learned a lot about how to keep ourselves healthy.  The bad news is we are not doing a very good job at it!    Over the past year, dodging the virus was the only priority for most of us.   As a result, many of us became too stressed, tired, and overwhelmed to eat healthily or exercise …

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How to Retain Employees in the “New Norm.”

A small medical equipment manufacturer had a great deal riding on the completion of their next-gen medical device.  Engineers, technicians, and marketers were stressed and exhausted from setbacks and long hours.  Yet, no one dropped offline or stopped showing up for work.  Why?  Because this company had worked hard to develop a culture that resembled a family more than a workplace.  Management recognized and responded …

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Moms to the Rescue: How to Begin Once It is Time to Return to Work

Are you one of the unsung heroes of the pandemic?  You know, a mom who had to ditch a promising career so your kids would not be home alone?  Have you spent the last year deciphering math mats with your child, wrangling the unemployment system, and soothing your stressed-out significant other?   If it feels like you time-warped to the sixties, that’s because …

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Are You in the Weeds on Marijuana Drug Testing?

What do the new drug testing rules and long-term marijuana users have in common?  Confusion, paranoia, and poor judgments!  [i] [ii]   Remember when drug and alcohol policies in the workplace used to be cut and dried?   A candidate or employee’s positive test meant refusal, dismissal, or a last-chance rehab at the employer’s discretion.  Now, with newly legal pot-friendly states popping up every month, hiring managers …